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☆ New Zealand Labour party support rises, NZ First remains kingmaker, polls show
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, holds a media conference after casting his vote in the general election in Auckland, New Zealand, October 2, 2023. In the Oct. 14 vote, the centre-right National Party, led by Christopher Luxon, is expected to emerge as the largest party with 34% of the vote, while Chris Hipkins' Labour Party is sitting on 30% of the vote, the Guardian Essential poll showed. A Newshub-Reid Research poll also released on Wednesday similarly found the populist party set to play kingmaker come election day. The poll also recorded a slight jump in support for Labour and a dip for the Nationals, who polled at 27.5% and 34.5%, respectively. Earlier polls gave the centre-right bloc of National and the ACT Party a larger proportion of the vote, although most recent polls put NZ First in position of kingmaker.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, Chris Hipkins, Te Pati, Reid, kingmaker, Luxon, Chris Bishop, Lucy Craymer, Sharon Singleton, Stephen Coates, Gerry Doyle Organizations: New Zealand National Party, REUTERS, Rights, New Zealand First Party, Labour Party, National Party, Guardian, National, ACT, Labour, Greens, Te, New Zealand, Reid Research, Nationals, New, ACT Party, NZ, Thomson Locations: Auckland , New Zealand, New Zealand

☆ Israel retaliates after Hamas attacks, deaths pass 1,100
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the country had called in around 100,000 soldiers. Iran is an ally of Hamas and while it congratulated Hamas on the attack, its mission to the United Nations said Tehran was not involved in the attacks. Several international air carriers have suspended flight services with Tel Aviv in light of the Hamas attack, saying they are waiting for conditions to improve before resuming. In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the U.S. announcement as "an actual participation in the aggression against our people" and said the group would not be intimidated. The United States led Western denunciations of Hamas' attack, with Biden issuing a blunt warning to Iran and others on : "This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks."

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Yoav Gallant, Jonathan Conricus, Brent, Ebrahim Raisi, they're, They're, Yoni Asher, Uri David, Mohammed Salem, Attar, Daniel Hagari, Netanyahu, Aaron David Miller, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Gerald R, Hazem Qassem, Lebanon's, Peacemaking, Ismail Haniyeh, Gazans, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovitch, Nidal, Ammar Anwar, Henriette Chacar, Emily Rose, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, Steven Scheer, James Mackenzie, Angus McDowall, Andrew Cawthorne, Matt Spetalnick, Stephen Coates, Michael Perry Organizations: Fighters, United Nations, Nasdaq, Sunday, REUTERS, White, National Security, Islamic, Carnegie Endowment, International, . Defense, Ford Carrier Strike Group, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Jerusalem, United, Biden, Thomson Locations: Gaza, JERUSALEM, GAZA, Israel, Egypt, Yom, Ofakim, Iran, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Lebanon's Iran, Palestine, Gaza City, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi Arabia, United States, Jerusalem, Sderot, Ramallah, Modiin, Washington

☆ Guatemala's Arevalo says state using violence to counter protests, warns of possible 'siege'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Josue Decavele Acquire Licensing RightsGUATEMALA CITY, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Guatemala's president-elect Bernardo Arevalo said on Monday the government is using violence to counter protests and create tension which could be used as an excuse for declaring a state of "siege," even as the government announced tighter measures. The attorney general's office has conducted raids on the buildings of electoral authorities and Arevalo's Semilla party headquarters and has moved to suspend the party. Late on Monday, outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei said on national TV the country would no longer tolerate street blockades, which he called illegal. "Many of the blockades in the west of the country have counted on the participation and assistance of foreigners," he said. He also called on Arevalo to meet with OAS mediators to ensure a peaceful handover on Jan. 14.

Persons: Josue, Bernardo Arevalo, Arevalo's, Alejandro Giammattei, Giammattei, Arevalo, Sofia Menchu, Nelson Renteria, Valentine Hilaire, Sarah Morland, Brendan O'Boyle, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, GUATEMALA CITY, Organization of American States, Thomson Locations: Guatemala City, Guatemala, GUATEMALA, Arevalo's, El Salvador, Guatemalan, Arevalo .

☆ Remnants of Typhoon Koinu bring floods to Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman struggles with an umbrella while walking against strong wind, as Typhoon Koinu approaches, in Hong Kong, China October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Hong Kong saw heavy flooding on Monday as the remnants of Typhoon Koinu brought heavy rains and strong gales, with many areas inundated with water just a month after the city was paralysed by record-breaking rainfall. Koinu had weakened into a severe tropical storm but still brought gale-force winds and heavy rain, the city's Observatory said. It is due to reopen in the afternoon as strong winds are expected to ease later in the day. Reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong and Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Stephen Coates and Lincoln Feast.

Persons: Koinu, Tyrone Siu, Typhoon Koinu, Farah Master, Liz Lee, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Tyrone, city's, . Schools, RTHK, Express, Services, MTR, China Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, China's, Guangdong, Hong, Taishan, Zhuhai, Hainan, Fujian, Beijing, Lincoln

☆ 4 experts explain why Elon Musk's plan to colonize Mars is 'romanticized', not 'realistic', 'cosmic vandalism'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Four scientists told Insider his plan is bad for technical, scientific, and ethical reasons. Yes, experts agree we might want to settle other worlds, but Mars might not be our best bet, at least not now, four scientists told Insider. SpaceX's first priority is "establishing a cargo route to Mars," Musk told the Washington Post in 2016. From Mars, Musk told the IAC, people could go to the asteroid belts, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and the Kuiper belt. AdvertisementAdvertisementEssentially, terraforming Mars would involve melting its polar ice caps, which would release CO2 reserves.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Ray Bradbury's, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christopher Edwards, He's, Musk, Refugio Ruiz Musk's, they'd, he's, Edwards, PATRICK T, FALLON, there's, Bruce Jakosky, Jakosky, Andrew Coates, Coates, Mars, terraformed, Alexander Gerst, Rachael Seidler, Refugio Ruiz, Seidler, Jeff Bezos, Buzz Aldrin, Chris McKay, " Edwards, that's Organizations: Service, Northern Arizona University, SpaceX, Mars SpaceX, International Astronautical, Washington Post, IAC, Elon Musk, NASA, Getty, Mars, ESA, University College London's, Science, University of Florida, AP, JPL, Caltech, SETI, Center for Strategic, International Studies, NASA's Ames Research Center Locations: Texas, Mars

☆ Ukraine reports success in the east, intense fighting further north
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fighting has flared up periodically near Lyman and Kupiansk and Ukraine says Russia has redeployed more than 110,000 troops to the area. Also in the east, Ukrainian forces are battling to regain ground near the devastated city of Bakhmut, seized by Russian forces in May after months of fighting. The report said Russian forces had unsuccessfully tried to regain lost positions in an area further south. Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow's forces had repelled two Ukrainian attacks west of the Russian-held city of Donetsk. In the southern theatre, Kyiv's forces are pushing toward the Sea of Azov in an attempt to split Russian-occupied territory in two.

Persons: Su, Lyman, Ilia Yevlash, Bakhmut, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Stephen Coates Organizations: Russian, General, of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Ukrainian, Reuters, Staff, Thomson Locations: Russian, Makiivka, Luhansk, Kupiansk, Lyman, Ukraine, Russia, Hroza, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Andriivka, Donetsk region, Donetsk, Azov, Zaporizhzhia, Robotyne

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. "The worst week for crude since March is starting to attract buyers given the oil market will still remain tight over the short-term," Moya said. "We think that once markets start paying attention to falling global oil stockpiles, Brent oil futures will likely creep back up above $US90/bbl," the Commonwealth Bank of Australia said in a note on Friday. U.S. government data this week showed a sharp decline in U.S. gasoline demand, with economic data showing the U.S. services sector had slowed. "The non-farm payroll data tonight, the US CPI, and China's economic data next week will be key to steering oil's movements.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Brent, Bond, Edward Moya, Moya, Tina Teng, Sudarshan Varadhan, Sonali Paul, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, West Texas, JPMorgan, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CPI, CMC Markets, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Rights SINGAPORE, U.S, United States

Putin on Thursday said Russia's nuclear doctrine did not need updating but that he was not yet ready to say whether or not Russia needed to resume nuclear tests. The Kremlin chief said that Russia should look at revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as the United States had signed it but not ratified. Just hours after Putin's words, Russia's top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, said the legislature's bosses would swiftly consider the need to revoke Russia's ratification for the treaty. "At the next meeting of the State Duma Council, we will definitely discuss the issue of revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," Volodin said. Putin's words, followed by Volodin's, indicate that Russia is almost certain to revoke ratification of the treaty, which bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere.

Persons: Vyacheslav Volodin, Maxim Shemetov, Putin, Vladimir Putin, peaker Volodin, Volodin, Volodin's, Guy Faulconbridge, Sonali Paul, Stephen Coates Organizations: Nazi, REUTERS, Soviet Union, Comprehensive, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kremlin, State Duma Council, Soviet, United Nations, United, United States Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Thomson Locations: Russia's, Nazi Germany, Red, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, United States, Washington, Brussels, State, Ban, Soviet Union, India, Pakistan, North Korea

☆ Strike ends at major Mexican gold mine after workers pocket 8% raise
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mexico is a top 10 gold miner, and Penasquito has ranked among its most productive precious metals projects. Both parties agreed to an 8% salary increase for workers, the statements said, a figure below the 10%-20% hike proposed by the union initially. The miner also agreed to pay two months salary to workers if it fails to report profits in the year, the union said. The statements noted that workers will also receive a 152 million peso ($8.3 million) bonus, divided equally among them. In addition to precious metals, Penasquito also produces significant volumes of base metals zinc and lead.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Penasquito, Newmont, Sen, Napoleon Gomez, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Daina Beth Solomon, Valentine Hilaire, David Alire Garcia, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, National Union of Mine, Metal Workers, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexico, Mexican Republic, Zacatecas

☆ Italy and Britain Pledge Joint Action Against 'Illegal Migration'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ROME (Reuters) - Italy and Britain want to lead the way in Europe in the fight against "illegal migration", the right-wing prime ministers of the two countries said in a joint op-ed published on Friday. The article is another show of unity between two governments whose tough approach on immigration has come under fire from charities and human rights advocates. French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also took part in the talks, held on the sidelines of a wider summit in Granada, Spain. At this meeting, "leaders committed to take action to support one another to tackle the challenges of illegal migration," Meloni and Sunak said, adding: "We're proud that Italy and the UK are leading on this together." (Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Alvise Armellini, Stephen Coates Organizations: The Times, Albanian, Edi Rama Locations: ROME, Italy, Britain, Europe, Ukraine, Dutch, Granada, Spain

☆ Italy and Britain pledge joint action against 'illegal migration'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Italy and Britain want to lead the way in Europe in the fight against "illegal migration", the right-wing prime ministers of the two countries said in a joint op-ed published on Friday. The article is another show of unity between two governments whose tough approach on immigration has come under fire from charities and human rights advocates. French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also took part in the talks, held on the sidelines of a wider summit in Granada, Spain. At this meeting, "leaders committed to take action to support one another to tackle the challenges of illegal migration," Meloni and Sunak said, adding: "We're proud that Italy and the UK are leading on this together." Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Alvise Armellini, Stephen Coates Organizations: The Times, Albanian, Edi Rama, Thomson Locations: Italy, Britain, Europe, Ukraine, Dutch, Granada, Spain

CEO Sam Altman has made the acquisition of more AI chips a top priority for the company. Meta's (META.O) custom chip effort has been beset with issues, leading the company to scrap some of its AI chips, according to a Reuters report. OpenAI's main backer, Microsoft (MSFT.O), is also developing a custom AI chip that OpenAI is testing, The Information has reported. Demand for specialized AI chips has soared since the launch of ChatGPT last year. Nvidia is one of the few chipmakers that produces useful AI chips and dominates the market.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Bernstein, Stacy Rasgon, Anna Tong, Stephen Nellis, Max A, Kenneth Li, Stephen Coates 私 Organizations: REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Reuters, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, Amazon.com, Annapurna Labs, Devices Locations: WASHINGTON, San Francisco

The logo of Toshiba Corporation is displayed at the company's building in Kawasaki, Japan, April 5, 2023. The top two deals this year, Toshiba Corp (6502.T) and JSR Corp (4185.T), had activists on their rosters. The strong M&A market comes as two long-standing obstacles to Japanese dealmaking - reluctance towards unsolicited takeovers and difficulties in cutting overlapping jobs in post merger integrations - may be fading. "Previously, excess employment issues held back M&A, because cutting overlapping headcount is the primary way M&A cuts costs and raises returns," Smith said. "As the labour shortage bites, expect M&A to surge as companies start being targeted as labour reservoirs."

Persons: Androniki, LSEG, David Gross, Loh, Jim Verbeeten, Shinsuke Tsunoda, " Bain Capital's Gross, Nicholas Smith, Smith, Makiko Yamazaki, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Toshiba Corporation, REUTERS, Toshiba, Bain Capital Asia, Bankers, Tokyo bourse, Toshiba Corp, JSR, Bain & Company, Nomura Securities, Marelli Holdings, KKR, Nidec Corp, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan, TOKYO, HONG KONG, Tokyo

REUTERS/Toru Hanai//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Fujitsu (6702.T) and research institute Riken on Thursday announced the successful development of Japan's second quantum computer, as part of research efforts around the world to make the nascent technology practical. The 64 qubit quantum computer from Fujitsu and state-backed Riken will be integrated with a 40 qubit quantum computer simulator, as researchers work to eliminate the errors which prevent such systems from providing accurate results. IBM last year launched a 433 qubit quantum computer. Qubits, or quantum bits, are a measure of the power of quantum computers, which use quantum mechanics. China, the U.S. and allied industrial democracies are in a race to take a lead in advanced technology including quantum computing, with President Joe Biden moving to hamper some U.S. investment in Chinese efforts to develop the technology.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Shintaro Sato, Joe Biden, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Stephen Coates Organizations: Fujitsu, Advanced Technologies, Makuhari, REUTERS, Rights, IBM, Thomson Locations: CEATEC, JAPAN, Chiba, Japan, China, U.S

☆ Ukraine Says Its Forces Make Headway in South, Hold Gains in East
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian officials also said Kyiv's forces were resisting Russian attempts to reverse gains on the eastern front made by Kyiv since it launched the counteroffensive in June. Ukraine's southern group of forces outlined advances as Kyiv presses on with a drive towards the Sea of Azov to split Russian-occupied territory in the south and east. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces, in its evening report, said its forces had repelled Russian attacks near Robotyne and nearby Verbove. The General Staff report also said Russian forces had been unsuccessful in attempts to recapture ground near Andriivka - a village in the east recaptured by Ukrainian forces last month. It also said it had downed 31 drones launched by Kyiv overnight over three southern Russian regions, but reported no casualties or damage.

Persons: Oleksandr Shtupun, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Russia's Defence Ministry, General, Staff, Russian Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Azov, Robotyne, Verbove, Andriivka, Bakhmut, Russian, Belgorod

☆ Yen cowers near 150 as Japanese intervention chatter runs rife
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. Japanese authorities last year intervened to prop up the yen for the first time since 1998. Other currencies similarly fell against the yen in the previous session, with the euro losing more than 1.5% to a low of 154.39 yen. The Aussie stood at 94.03 yen , after having fallen to an over one-month low of 93.16 yen on Tuesday. Sterling edged 0.02% lower to $1.2076, languishing near the previous session's close to seven-month low of $1.20535.

Persons: Florence Lo, James Malcolm, Shunichi Suzuki, Masato Kanda, Janet Yellen, Rodrigo Catril, Raphael Bostic, Loretta Mester, Rae Wee, Sam Holmes, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, UBS, Japanese Finance, Tokyo, Treasury, New Zealand, Sterling, National Australia Bank, Atlanta Fed, Cleveland Fed, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Asia, Washington, Japan

☆ Kevin McCarthy's wild ride as US House speaker ends in historic fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) walks back to the Speaker's office after a motion to vacate the chair of Speaker of the House and end McCarthy's continued leadership passed by a vote of 216-210, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. On Tuesday, eight members of his party joined 208 Democrats to oust McCarthy as speaker in a 216-210 vote. But as I walk out of this chamber, I feel fortunate to have served the American people," McCarthy, 58, told reporters. "Frankly, one has to wonder whether or not the House is governable at all," Republican Representative Dusty Johnson told reporters after McCarthy's ouster. But hardliners soon used their leverage to shutter the House floor in protest over the spending level that McCarthy had agreed to Biden.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy's, Jonathan Ernst, Matt Gaetz, McCarthy, Gaetz, " McCarthy, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, seethed, Biden, John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Trump, Dusty Johnson, Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer, Jodey Arrington, Kevin Hern, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . House, California Republican, Democratic, Republican, Reuters, Republicans, Committee, Thomson Locations: Washington, California, U.S

Smartphone with displayed Coinbase logo and representation of cryptocurrencies are placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken, June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Coinbase Global Inc FollowOct 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday asked a federal judge to deny a motion from Coinbase Global (COIN.O) to dismiss the regulator's lawsuit against the cryptocurrency exchange. THE TAKETuesday's filing showed that the SEC is seizing on the Terraform Labs ruling to raise questions about the ruling in the Ripple case, which the crypto industry had hailed as a victory. THE CONTEXTThe SEC sued Coinbase in June, accusing it of operating illegally as a national securities exchange, broker and clearing agency without registering with the regulator. Thus, the Motion hinges on whether Coinbase intermediated transactions involving investment contracts, and thus securities.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Coinbase, Paul Grewal, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Jonathan Stempel, Cynthia Osterman, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Coinbase, Ripple Labs, Terraform Labs, Terraform, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Washington, New York

☆ LinkedIn taps AI to make it easier for firms to find job candidates
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 17, 2022. LinkedIn has more than 950 million members, the vast majority of whom do not pay for the service. Its primary businesses is charging money to recruiters and marketing and sales professionals for access to its trove of data. Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn's chief executive, told Reuters that in an age when job titles are changing rapidly, LinkedIn is trying to encourage hiring people whose skills fit the job requirements, regardless of title or education. "For the majority of the world, you're going to find that those tasks are going to be augmented by AI, so your role is going to need to adapt a little bit," Roslansky said.

Persons: Ryan Roslansky, Porte, Benoit Tessier, Roslansky, Stephen Nellis, Stephen Coates Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Reuters, Ivy League, Google, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, OpenAI, Minneapolis, San Francisco

☆ Evergrande chairman investigated over offshore asset transfers - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Hui Ka Yan, chairman of Evergrande Real Estate Group Ltd, the country's second-largest property developer by sales, attends a news conference on annual results in Hong Kong, China March 29, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 2 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) Chairman Hui Ka Yan is being investigated on suspicion of transferring assets offshore while the indebted property developer struggles to complete unfinished projects, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Evergrande has been working to get creditors' approval to restructure its offshore debt but the process grew more complicated last week when the company said it could not issue new debt due to an investigation into its main China unit. Adding to the embattled developer's woes, it said on Friday that its chairman was under police watch and was suspected of committing unspecified crimes. Evergrande did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment during week-long National Day holidays.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Bobby Yip, Evergrande, Hui, Urvi, Stephen Coates Organizations: Real Estate Group, REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, Wall Street, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, China's, Evergrande, Bengaluru

☆ Texas Power Grid Seeks to Increase Operating Reserves for Winter Preparation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on Monday to increase operating reserves adding up to an additional 3,000 MW for the upcoming winter peak load season. The RFP seeks capacity from both dispatchable generation and demand response solutions to cover the period of Dec. 1, 2023, through Feb. 29, 2024, the Texas power grid operator added. The capacity request was informed by several factors, mainly significant peak load growth since last winter, proposed retirements of dispatchable generation resources, and extreme winter weather events, added the grid operator. ERCOT which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers hit an all-time high of 85,435 MW on Aug. 10, due to the brutal heat wave. Winter Storm Elliott brought sub-freezing temperatures and extreme weather alerts to about two-thirds of the United States knocking out power for more than 1.5 million homes and businesses.

Persons: Pablo Vegas, MORA, Storm Elliott, Rahul Paswan, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Reliability, of Texas, Storm Locations: Texas, United States, Bengaluru

[1/2] Taylor Swift attends the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., September 12, 2023. Swift's appearance, in addition to fueling further rumors about her romance with the Chiefs' star tight end, is sure to deliver another marketing blessing to the NFL. Sunday's game was the second-highest selling game of the NFL season after the season opener, Stubhub said. The cheapest nosebleed seat tickets for Sunday's game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were going for $81 on Sunday afternoon, while resale tickets at the lower level cost close to $9,000. When Swift showed up at the Chiefs' game on Sept. 24, viewership among women ages 18-49 - Swift's prime fan demographic - spike 63% week-over-week.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Andrew Kelly, Travis Kelce, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Blake Lively, Stubhub, Swift, Taylor, Gabriella Borter, Joseph Ax, Frank Pingue, Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates Organizations: Prudential Center, REUTERS, MetLife, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Chiefs, National Football, NBC, Hollywood, NFL, Jets, Kelce, Football, Thomson Locations: Newark , New Jersey, U.S, New Jersey, United States, Kansas City, New York, East Rutherford , New Jersey, Washington, Toronto

But the executive transition does not settle another potential power play that could occur upon Rupert Murdoch’s death, as framed by a document called the Murdoch Family Trust. It is the vehicle through which the elder Murdoch controls News Corp and Fox Corp, through a roughly 40% stake in voting shares of each company. The Murdoch Family Trust has eight votes: four of which are controlled by Murdoch, and the remaining four controlled by the four children from his first two marriages. Upon succession, the four older children will equally inherit Murdoch’s voting shares in the trust, according to Alice Enders, Head of Research at Enders Analysis. The shares in Fox and News Corp owned by Murdoch’s children through the trust are a combination of both classes of shares.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan, Mike Blake, Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch’s, Murdoch, Prudence, Elisabeth, James –, Murdoch’s, Chloe, Grace, Wendi Deng, Alice Enders ,, “ It’s, ”, Enders, “, Helen Coster, Stephen Coates Organizations: Fox Executive, Allen, REUTERS, News Corp, Corp, Fox Corp, Trust, The, Alice Enders , Head, Research, Enders Analysis, Fox, Thomson Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Murdoch, The Reno , Nevada, Melbourne, New York

☆ Confident Kenin continues resurgence by reaching Guadalajara semis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I'm very happy, very proud of myself," said Kenin, who is bidding to make her first WTA 1000 final. In the semi-finals, Kenin will take on American world number 111 Caroline Dolehide who saved four matchpoints to beat Martina Trevisan 3-6 7-6(9) 6-3. "To be honest, I had to find a way today to win," Dolehide said after reaching her first Tour-level semi-final. "I just played with my kick, played with my best shots and I ended up winning that set. The Frenchwoman meets second seed and last year's runner-up Maria Sakkari, who eased past Emiliana Arango 6-3 6-4.

Persons: Sofia Kenin, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, Henry Romero, Leylah Fernandez, Kenin, I've, Caroline Dolehide, Martina Trevisan, Dolehide, Caroline Garcia, Garcia, Maria Sakkari, Emiliana Arango, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Stephen Coates Organizations: Panamerican Tennis Center, Canada's Leylah Fernandez REUTERS, Rights, San Diego Open, Victoria Azarenka, Thomson Locations: Guadalajara, Mexico, Rights GUADALAJARA, Melbourne, Bengaluru

☆ Analysis: DeSantis embraces risky abortion stance to draw contrast with Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The DeSantis campaign believes a win in Iowa might push other candidates from the field, leaving him as voters' primary alternative to former President Donald Trump, the current favorite. The DeSantis War Room account on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, replayed the NBC Trump interview and featured Iowa pastors criticizing Trump. A DeSantis campaign adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss strategy, said the governor was intent on replicating the tactics used by U.S. DeSantis' campaign last week announced a "Faith and Family" coalition backed by 70 Iowa pastors and faith leaders. POLITICAL PERILDeSantis signed the Florida bill in April with little fanfare and rarely mentioned it early in his presidential campaign.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Scott Morgan, DeSantis, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Ted Cruz, David Kochel, ”, ” Trump, fides, Roe, Wade, Mark Donald, “, ” Donald, “ That’s, James Oliphant, Gram Slattery, Colleen Jenkins, Stephen Coates Organizations: Republican U.S, Florida, Fair, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, NBC News, Republican Party, Twitter, NBC Trump, Facebook, Trump, Democratic, Reuters, Ipsos, Iowa, Republicans, U.S, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Iowa, Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, Florida, Florida and Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan

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